Would you expect the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team to train without a court? Despite back-to-back ISL titles for the girls’ team and the boys’ close behind in 3rd place, the Varsity Swim Team, which trains co-ed, remains one of the few without on-campus facilities. How long can a program of this caliber thrive under such constraints? And could this limitation provide any unexpected bonuses to the team?
Milton’s middle school campus does contain an outdoor pool, located by the softball field; however, as boys captain Rohan Shah ‘26 commented, the “the pool is way too small, even for a team like us.” Athletic Director Lamar Reddicks confirmed that in his time at Milton, “there have never been any plans of a pool being on campus.” He added that at the moment, “[he does] not see where a pool could go.”
Last year, the swim team practiced at the Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester. Due to policy changes, they have made the switch to the Shamrock Swim Club in Milton. Although this relocation has reduced travel distance, it has also introduced new challenges. Girls team captain Emma-Rose Zilla ‘26 noted that although the “pool size itself is not an issue, timing of practice is a big issue.” Being a public pool, Shamrock is also shared with other teams, and thus, Milton must accommodate. Zilla explained, “the team shifts from practicing in five lanes to three lanes mid-practice, with Wednesday being the only exception.”
In addition to this new restriction, Alex Ning ‘27 observes that “practices are significantly shortened, shrinking from two hours last year, to an hour and a half, sometimes even 45 minutes on Fridays.” For some swimmers, the reduced pool time has been discouraging. Commenting on this change, Ning states that “it’s really sad we don’t practice longer,” expressing his frustration over losing time doing a sport he loves. James Lanza ‘27 agreed that this change has negatively impacted the team, as “it’s important that we need as much practice time as we can get, and more of it would be great.” However, Lanza also emphasized that as a team, “we are still putting in as much effort as we can give.” This belief is reflected among many other swimmers, with Tracey Brown ‘29 agreeing that although “practices are shorter than [her] old club team, the sets at Milton are more thoroughly thought out” and are able to improve performances.
Head Coach Bob Tyler states that the team’s off-campus practice schedule comes with “both positivity and negativity.” On one side, he explains, the team “loses a lot of time [to] commuting, which could be spent working on longer sets.” On the other hand, the shortened pool times have given the team more opportunity for dryland, which is crucial in strengthening the team. Assistant Coach Jamie LaRochelle added that swimming at Milton has valued for many years its “openness and inclusiveness.” The team has put an emphasis on welcoming swimmers of all levels, being one of the only programs to include middle school students. This receptiveness makes swimming unique in its own way, forming an environment which “many other schools do not have.”
LaRochelle adds that the daily commute also has a huge impact on team culture. Having an on-campus pool, LaRochelle cautions, could alter the community dynamic and allow the team to prioritize its competitiveness in the league. Spending ten to fifteen minutes on the bus has actually been beneficial, “[allowing] students to connect” beyond just the sport itself, further fostering a sense of “community,” which Milton Academy prides itself on deeply.